


What A Fruitcake

by mansikka



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Christmas Cake, Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21832936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/pseuds/mansikka
Summary: Magnus makes a Christmas cake.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 10
Kudos: 93





	What A Fruitcake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ToughPaperRound](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToughPaperRound/gifts).

> Hello! Back in October-ish, I asked readers who wanted festive prompts to enter a 'raffle' of sorts for five prompts. _toughpaperround_ won the prompt for **one word prompt** and this is the result!

**November 1st**

When Alec wakes, it takes like something unpleasant and furry has taken up residence on his tongue. He smacks his lips in distaste moving only a fraction before his temples pound, deciding to keep his head on his pillow a little longer.

Out of habit, Alec reaches across the bed for Magnus, raising his head again when realizing he isn't there. With a groan for his hangover and a grumble for how Magnus _never_ has them, Alec hauls himself from the bed, making a quick visit to the bathroom to feel a little more human.

Magnus is humming happily to himself in the kitchen when Alec joins him, even dancing a little as he moves from counter to counter. There is a large glass mixing bowl on one surface and a mound of other things on another. There is music playing, soft and only really audible when Alec steps closer to the radio. Magnus hears his approach and spins on his heel, his robe fanning out around him as he does.

"Good morning, Alexander," he says, far too brightly for Alec's head.

"Morning," he grumbles back as he slips his hands below Magnus' robe to haul him in by the waist.

"Oh," Magnus says with a click of his tongue and a sympathetic smile. He leans in for a kiss then pulls back from his embrace, pulsing magic down by his side that he then aims at Alec's head.

"Oh, that's amazing," Alec says as he curls his fingers around Magnus' wrist and lets his magic trickle away his hangover. When he feels back to normal he tugs Magnus in again for a hug, kissing his shoulder and mumbling his thanks.

"It was a good night, yes?" Magnus asks in amusement, resting his hands on Alec's chest.

"Our first Halloween together in Alicante," Alec says, smiling for all the memories made last night. He's spent Halloween here before, of course, but that was when he was younger, far more unsure of his place in the world—and rarely letting loose enough to have _fun_. Halloween festivities here might not be as they are back in New York, but they'd had a wonderful evening. A parade in the street, a Halloween-themed party in a hotel, then drinks and dancing until almost dawn. Alec glances at the time on the radio to check the time, realizing it is almost eleven already.

"Indeed it was. And now, for another first for us," Magnus adds, gesturing over the surfaces covered in all kinds of things.

"What are you making?" Alec asks, moving when Magnus does. On the counter, there are all kinds of candied fruits, including cherries that he shoves several of in his mouth for _needing_ their sweetness. He seals the bags as Magnus moves away again for seeing the bowl he has is already full.

"Well. At this stage, we are just pre-soaking. Brandy or rum?"

"For…?"

"Our cake," Magnus says, nodding at the bowl. When Alec looks at him in confusion, he smiles while brandishing the bottles at him again. "We are presoaking the fruit for our Christmas cake. Our first _married_ Christmas cake."

Any reminder that they are _married_ puts a smile on Alec's face; he's fairly sure he'll still feel this giddy about having Magnus as his _husband_ a hundred years from now. And to see Magnus so joyful doing anything just makes Alec's heart swell in affection. He taps the cap of the brandy bottle, grinning when Magnus spins back around.

"Brandy it is," Magnus agrees, uncapping the bottle and then pouring. And pouring. And pouring some more. "We can always feed it with something different if we feel like it."

"_Feed_?"

"For the best fruitcake, we prepare the fruit far in advance, then _feed_ it a little more alcohol as it sits until you are ready to bake."

"And… when are we baking this?" Alec asks as Magnus tilts his head to admire his work, then adds a glug more before carefully stirring the fruit.

"In a couple of weeks," Magnus says, with a slightly pensive look. "Really, I should have soaked it earlier. But it will still taste good. And once it's baked, we will borrow from the _Brits_ and decorate it. With icing, and snow scenes, and… whatever we wish."

Magnus looks so pleased with himself as he covers the bowl over and slots it into a cupboard. Alec steps up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist.

"Well. That sounds great," he says as he kisses Magnus' shoulder then rests his chin there. "But what are we going to eat now?"

"I think _someone_ a few minutes ago would have appreciated eggs and bacon for breakfast, hmm?"

"I think I'd still _appreciate_ that now."

"Excellent. You make the coffee, I will tidy all of _this_ away," Magnus says with a wave of his fingers over all of the packets of fruit. Already they are gone.

As Alec makes their coffee, and Magnus wipes down the counters behind him, he is still smiling for Magnus humming along to a festive tune.

* * *

**November 25th**

The Christmas cake smells amazing. Alec walks in from work knowing Magnus is already home since he messaged to say he'd seen his last client at four. Alec knew he was planning on baking the cake today, but he hadn't been ready for the smell. It is festive, and makes him hungry, and think of his Christmas shopping list that he still needs to work through.

Christmas songs play on the radio in the kitchen, where Magnus is currently dancing and singing along. He's put on reindeer antlers for the occasion and an apron with a Christmas scene on it that looks like some kind of festive banquet.

"Hi," Alec says when Magnus spots him, beaming across the room.

"I thought you'd be later," Magnus says as he accepts his kisses and curls his hands around his waist. "I was going to cheat, and you wouldn't have even known about it."

"Oh?"

"Well," Magnus says, nudging Alec until they are closer to the counter, "I may have made this."

"The Christmas cake. It looks amazing." It really does. It is a large circular cake that they are either going to be eating for weeks or will have to give slices away of.

"Thank you. However, when it comes to _marzipan_ and _royal icing_, I am no expert." Magnus waves his hand, first covering the top of the cake in a perfect circle of marzipan, and then covering the entire cake with a thin layer of icing.

"It will be really sweet now, right?"

"Well. You don't _have_ to eat either of those things, not if you don't want to. Though it is Christmas; a perfect excuse to overindulge."

"I guess."

"In any case. Now it is ready for us to decorate however we wish," Magnus says, opening an overhead cupboard door and scooping out what have to be cake decorations. There are reindeers, Christmas trees, stars, and all kinds of other things. Alec spots the white chocolate snowflakes and opens the box, popping one into his mouth before Magnus can protest, and then one into _his_ when he does.

"And we can decorate it however we want?"

"It is _our_ cake."

"Great. Then I'll just go wash up," Alec says, waving his hands, and stealing another kiss before leaving for the bathroom.

When Alec returns to the kitchen, Magnus' eyes light up for the Christmas sweater he is wearing. He even puts the lights on so all the tree lights on it flash and flicker, which Magnus _loves_.

"Shall we decorate our cake?" Magnus says, snapping his fingers for cocktails. They are working through an advent calendar of sorts, where they sample a new festive cocktail every day. This one is both sweet and spicy, and puts just the right heat in Alec's stomach; though he'll have to eat soon if he doesn't it to go to his head, since it's so strong.

There is a chocolate sleigh that Magnus carefully extracts from its packaging to press into the side of the cake. Alec adds the reindeer as Magnus spins the cake on its base so the entire side is covered. A slight debate then follows when Alec tries to name the reindeers, and Magnus is insistent they already have names. He puts a round, red candy on the reindeer at the front, insisting he is Rudolph_, _and,_ this cake is traditional, Alexander_.

In one corner they put a tiny Christmas tree that is covered in edible glitter, after which Magnus holds up one glittered-covered fingertip for Alec to lick. Alec sucks it into his mouth and winks. Magnus _beams_ at him, his eyes crinkling up in amusement before he opens yet another package to take out even tinier decorations in the shapes of presents. They arrange them around the foot of the tree, adding a couple of chocolate teddy bears when Magnus says he thinks they need more.

"What do you think?" he says then stepping back to admire their handiwork. "Too much?"

"I thought _too much_ was your middle name?" Alec retorts, getting a kiss to his cheek.

"Well. It _is_. Though perhaps for the rest of the cake we can just cover it in these chocolate snowflakes and more glitter."

"Perfect."

* * *

**Christmas Eve**

The cake really is perfect. They decide to have a slice on Christmas Eve, having a mini Christmas just for them since tomorrow they will be spending Christmas with everyone back in New York. From the first bite they are _giggling_ for how alcoholic it is; Magnus might have _fed_ the pre-soaking fruit a _lot_.

It is Magnus who insists that they start dancing before they are even halfway through a slice. And it is Alec who insists that, since it's _Christmas_, there should be snow. Magnus waves his hands for their very own glitter snowstorm on their balcony overlooking Alicante, tugging Alec's hand for him to join him.

By the time they finish a second slice, everything to Alec seems hilarious. From the glitter that is now on _everything_, to the smear of cake on Magnus' cheek. They dance, and they kiss, and though this isn't their first Christmas together, it _is_ magical: for the rings worn on their fingers; for the joy they'll see on each other's faces when they open their gifts tomorrow; and for the promise of so many more Christmases to come.


End file.
